Flexible professional development study option

Abstract

[Introduction]: Profession development is acknowledged as a significantly important professional activity, for both professional and technical needs, and may be achieved in multiple ways. Profession development through single courses (individual subjects) or entire programs (for a higher level qualification) of formal study is often difficult to achieve while in full employment. Individual flexibility for completing postgraduate professional development is desirable to address the variety of both personal and employment environments. The University of Southern Queensland (USQ) has recently (2008 introduction) added a new coursework Master of Spatial Science Technology to its suite of options in both the distance education off-campus and full-time on-campus study modes. This program adds to the unique suite of undergraduate spatial science (surveying and spatial information) programs (Young 2007) for professional development opportunities at a variety of qualification levels. The completion of any of the individual courses for credit, without doing a full program, is still another option. This article will firstly overview the Master of Spatial Science Technology and then identify the post graduate professional development opportunities and the articulated pathways for individual's considering longer term career ambitions.